ALLAN WATER ANGLING IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION.
A.W.A.I.A.© All Rights Reserved.
Conservation.
The Association is committed to improve the river habitat and its environment to benefit all native plants animals and fish and a summary of work carried out during the year as part of the long term Management Plan for the River Allan. Is given below
Overview. The management plan highlighted a number of areas where improvements could be made with a view to enhancing habitat and fish stocks. These issues were primarily improvements to man-made obstructions, pollution from leached nutrients and siltation caused by excessive erosion , and bio security.
Works during 2011. Survey work was carried out on the Scouring Burn at Dunblane to examine the potential for improvements to the waterfall near the railway line. This survey identified some 8000 m² of a viable juvenile salmonids habitat upstream of the falls and electro fishing surveys during the summer showed that there were healthy populations of trout and salmon downstream but only trout upstream. This clearly shows that the waterfall is a significant barrier to migration and plans are being proposed to have this issue addressed. A similar survey was carried out on the Millstone Burn at Greenloaning which indicated a healthy salmonid population. It had been intended to carry out similar electro fishing works on other Burns to quantify the effects of obstructions but the very wet conditions during late summer made this impossible and these surveys have been carried forward into next year’s plan of works.
Electro fishing works were also carried out on the Muckle Burn and these showed that there were healthy populations of salmon and trout right up onto the moorland above. It is interesting to note that as found in previous surveys some year classes of juvenile salmon were absent or poorly represented at some sites.
Proposals for 2012. Of recent years there have been a number of upgrades of the A9 between Blackford and Dunblane and almost every burn on the left bank of the Allan has now been culverted or affected in some way and access to hitherto prime spawning and nursery areas is now barred. It is hoped that if conditions allow data will be collected on these bones with a view to having access for migratory fish
Discussions are scheduled to be held with the trust to tackle the problem of silt transport which is seen as particularly damaging to the River habitat. It is hoped that these discussions will identify areas for improvementwhich can be implemented as a long-term solution to the silt problem on the River.
It is proposed that a long-term programme of hogweed spraying will begin during 2012 with the purpose of totally eradicating hogweed and other alien plant species from the River. To this end a further two volunteers are being trained and will be certificated for carrying out this work.